Our dear Highlands Mama, affectionately known as Mama Opa came to spend 5
days with us before we head home. Being the good mama that she is she left
the house completely spotless. There was never a dirty dish in my sink or a
crumb on my floor while she was here. She's the most generous, loving Papua
New Guinean I know. We love her and miss her!
The gecko picture above in the fire truck didn't stick around long enough to
be named, but he sure had fun pretending to be a fire fighter. He even got
to drive the fire truck, which was definitely a highlight for him. Bill
released him after much peer pressure.
I need to laugh more. My Dad sent William these jokes today and I’m still laughing. Am I the only one who thinks these are funny?! I know, I know. I don’t get out much.
Q. What time is it when you have to go to the dentist?
A. Tooth-hurty
Q. Where do kings keep their armies?
A. In their sleevies.
Q. What do you call cheese that’s not yours?
A. Nacho cheese.
Q. What do you do if an elephant swallows you?
A. Run around in circles ‘til you’re all pooped out.
Q. What’s invisible and smells like carrots?
A. Bunny farts.
Q. What do you call a cow with no legs?
A. Ground beef.
And my personal favorites......
Q. What did the Lego pirate say when he lost his leg?
A. Where’d my Lego leg go?
Q. Where do sheep get their hair cut?
A. At the baa-baa shop.
I have my own To-Do list.
1. Use 'LYMTYKD' as much as possible before we leave.
2. Get Drew and myself ready physically and mentally to say hello to Mr. Buttered Popcorn, Mrs. Coffee Bean, and Ms. Chocolate. (And I'll practice saying hello to Mr. Peanut Butter just in case).
3. Get a new coming home outfit...again.
4. Hide all pocket knives and bush knives to be sure they stay in PNG. I AM concerned for the safety of my relatives. Don't worry guys, I got it covered.
5. Go to the Madang Resort, establish a half decent internet connection, and check out Siren's spring collection online and possibly pre-order. (weeee ooooo weeee oooo)
6. Stuff as much pineapple, papaya, and mango into my mouth as physically possible.
7. Make sure to pack 'Meine Seele' and make sure to remind Chris that I still have it.
8. Fill every little crack and crevice in our suitcases with Snax Beef...as in the FOOD Snax Beef. Not the person.
9. Drill Bill and Snax Beef on names of all our relatives.
10. Drill Andrew on names of all our relatives.
11. Get my vocal chords warmed up for church.
12. Call the
13. Get the boys to practice wearing shoes and put a ban on peeing outside in the yard.
14. Get
This dedication was definitely a good note to end on. I didn't have to
rough it in the village, but I was put up in a place called the 'Tufi Dive
Resort'. I think its fun to 'rough it' in the village, but this was just a
real treat! I even had a free afternoon to do some snorkling. Tufi claims
to have some of the best in the world and although I haven't done a lot of
snorkeling I'd agree that it was pretty amazing. I hope I never forget what
I saw.
On the day of the dedication we were taken out by boat to the village. It
was only about a 20 minute ride. We had the boxes of bibles on our boat,
which was pretty neat. A boat full of men from the village were dancing,
shouting, and pounding their drums while they came out to meet us out on the
water. We had a little ceremony out there while we handed them a Bible.
They wrapped it up in a 'tapa' cloth, and then put it in a special
ornamental canoe. We followed them the rest of the way to the village.
Before we reached the shore 8 large dugout canoes came and met us. Each
canoe was filled with about 12 men rowing their hearts out. They circled
us, weaving in and out, and shouting as they went. It was a spectacular
sight! It was quite the escort. When we got to shore the Bibles were
unloaded from our boat and a large processional began.
The translators who started the translation project were there from America.
For various reasons they didn't finish the translation themselves, but
handed it over to two national men many years ago. One of my favorite
moments was watching the American couple meet up with the men who finished
the translation. It was an emotional and exciting time for the four of them
and you could see the emotion on their faces. The excitement was thick in
the air - the people were celebrating and cheering. It was incredible.
I really loved the traditional dress of this people group. Their headdress
was elaborate and colorful. It was amusing to see how some people
incorporated Christmas garland and other Christmas decorations into their
dress. It is in this area that the 'tapa' cloth is used. A tapa cloth is a
cloth made from tree material and then is painted in a reddish brown
traditional pattern. You can see many of the people wearing them around
their waists in the pictures. I was presented with a tapa cloth and I will
always cherish it!
They distributed the Bibles very differently at this dedication. Each
family line (from surrounding villages) pre paid for their Bibles, so they
divided the Bibles out into piles for each village and then had each village
group come forward to pick up their Bibles. Each time a new group came
forward they were danced in by the traditional dancers. The last group to
receive the Bibles was the place where the translation was actually done.
They saved the best for last! Several young boys, all dressed up
traditionally came up to receive a Bible and they did this heart felt dance
with the Bibles in their hands. It was very moving.
When a translation is finished we hope that it is the younger generation who
will hold on to their 'tok ples' (their heart language) and learn to read
it. Tok Pidgin is taking over in many places in PNG and languages are dying
out.
Our beloved dump trucks have seen better days. William actually repaired
his successfully - hopefully it'll hang in there for another 30 days. We'll
have to take a trip to the toy store when we get home to see if we can find
some worthy replacements. I have a feeling it could be a tearful good bye
when we leave the trucks on PNG soil.
